MPIL Heidelberg

II Law＆the Amazon International Conference - Max Planck Law Bringing together legal scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, artists and leaders from civil society, to discuss ongoing critical legal issues on the Amazon from a global and interdisciplinary appr...

The Second Edition of The Law and The Amazon Conference will be held this December in Belém, COP30’s host city. It. It explores how local and Indigenous legal narratives challenge global climate governance. Submissions due 24 August: law.mpg.de/event/ii-law... @mpilhlt.bsky.social @mpil.de

Overcoming Global Health Threats Together - Max Planck Law

Now in English: Pedro A. Villarreal examines gaps in global health law exposed by Covid-19 and reflects on the proposed WHO pandemic agreement. Published in ‘MaxPlanckResearch’. Read more: law.mpg.de/news/overcom...
@pedroav.bsky.social @mpil.de

YouTube video by MPIL Heidelberg A Life at International Law’s Crossroads. MPIL100 Conversation with Jochen Frowein

A life at international law's crossroads: In this #MPIL100 Conversation, Jochen Frowein reflects on his MPIL journey—from shaping Ostpolitik to leading the European Commission of Human Rights. Dive into his stories bridging scholarship & diplomacy.

📺 youtu.be/clEjCjzq3s4?...

#InternationalLaw

6/ This gap grows as organizations and businesses expand globally, making human rights oversight ever more urgent. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

#AcademicExcellence #InternationalLaw #HumanRights #Accountability

5/ Since 2017, she's brought these insights into her Frankfurt courses, earning top student evaluations and inspiring new generations to question the gap between power and accountability.

4/ Platise brings unique perspective from her time as a legal officer at the European Court of Human Rights and later as a Marie Curie research fellow. Real-world experience meets rigorous scholarship.

3/ Perfect example: the OSCE sends missions from Ukraine to Central Asia, mediates disputes, trains police—yet operates without a founding treaty. This is "governance without law" in action.

2/ Her work exposes a crucial legal gap: entities can wield enormous political or economic power yet evade oversight—even without international legal personality. When they violate human rights, victims often lack effective protection.

Three people stand in an office setting with bookshelves in the background. On the left, Prof. Dr. Stefan Kadelbach, Dean of the Faculty of Law, wearing a dark suit and striped tie. Together with Mateja S. Platise in the center, wearing a gray blazer over a white top, they hold a certificate in a blue folder. On the right, Prof. Dr. Reiner Hofmann, wearing a dark suit, glasses, and striped tie, stands with hands clasped. The occasion is Platise's appointment as Honorary Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt.

1/ How can non-state actors like international organizations and businesses be held accountable for human rights violations?

Mateja Platise has devoted years to researching this critical question. In recognition of her achievements, she's been appointed Honorary Prof. at @goetheuni.bsky.social! 🎉

#NewIssue

📖Are you looking for a fresh read?

Our book review section might be able to help!

Read here: brill.com/view/journal...

@mpil.de @degruyterbrill.bsky.social

How did the discourse on population numbers by the UN impact law and politics? Find out in the latest paper by @danaschmalz.bsky.social (@mpil.de): papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Deutscher Bundestag - Zukunft der Europäi­schen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik Nur gemeinsam und in größtmöglicher Unabhängigkeit kann eine bessere europäische Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik gelingen. Das war das Credo aus Expertensicht in der Veranstaltungsreih...

6/6
Catch the full Forum W convo w/ Herfried #Münkler, @moserc.bsky.social & @bvst.bsky.social

👉 www.bundestag.de/dokumente/te...

5/6
Key line: “EU defense is not a threat to national sovereignty - it actually enables it to come to life. Individual states can no longer shoulder today's challenges alone.”

4/6 ⚖️ Law as leverage

Moser: Treat EU law as an enabler, not a brake. The treaties already allow deeper defense ties—if we use them creatively.

3/6 📊 Parliamentary gap

Brussels ↔️ national capitals still trade too little intel. When defense moves faster, weak oversight could open real accountability holes.

2/6 🔄 Governance shift

Classic unanimity in defense is fading. The European Commission now drives industrial initiatives—joint production, new funding tools, bigger ambitions.

Deutscher Bundestag - Zukunft der Europäi­schen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik Nur gemeinsam und in größtmöglicher Unabhängigkeit kann eine bessere europäische Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik gelingen. Das war das Credo aus Expertensicht in der Veranstaltungsreih...

1/6 From “peace management” to real defense:
Europe is rethinking security. As one MEP put it, “The EU spent so much time keeping the peace, it forgot to prepare for war.”

@moserc.bsky.social broke it down at the recent Forum W at @bundestag.de.

#EuropeanDefense #SecurityLaw #EUIntegration #MPIL

6/ ❓ Who will speak up the next time the rule book is tossed aside?

5/ Read the full story (DE/EN): 👉 mpil100.de/2025/03/mut-...

4/ Vöneky reminds us: the ideals of international law survive only if voices rise when the rules are bent. Silence costs more than we think.

3/ Inside MPIL, debates were fierce. Scholars challenged U.S. claims about “unlawful combatants,” proving that principled dissent matters—even when allies disagree. ✊

2/ Her new essay on mpil100.de shows how 9/11 shattered post-Cold-War optimism and forced MPIL to ask hard questions:

❔ Is terrorism an act of war?

❔ Do the Geneva Conventions protect Guantanamo detainees?

❔ What happens when democracies bend the rules?

Graphic featuring a quote from Silja Vöneky's text on a green background with a bold orange arrow symbol in the top left. To the right, large white serif text reads: ‘If we don't speak uo, it will remain unchallenged and no one else will speak up.’. Beneath the quote, in smaller white text aligned to the right, is the attribution: ‘Rüdiger Wolfrum’.

1/ Where were you on 11 Sept 2001? For Silja Vöneky (@uni-freiburg.de) —then a young MPIL fellow—it was a day that shook the world and the law. 🌍⚖️

#MPIL100 #InternationalLaw #LegalHistory #MemoryCulture #RuleOfLaw #Dissent #Guantanamo #WarOnTerror

7/ ❔ Where do you see the biggest obstacles to real institutional change on climate issues?

6/ Read the full essay (German only):
👉 mpil100.de/2025/07/das-...

5/ The essay raises uncomfortable questions about the gap between academic expertise and institutional behavior—and what it means for the credibility of environmental advocacy in times of crisis. 🌡️

4/ Hartwig's account is both humorous and sobering—a perfect illustration of how even the most enlightened institutions can struggle to live up to their insights. "Have you ever seen a signpost that travels the path it points to?" (Max Scheler)

3/ Yet it took 25 years to implement waste separation. And flight guidelines for a climate-conscious institute? ✈️❌ Dead on arrival.

2/ In his new essay on mpil100.de, Matthias Hartwig—MPIL's first environmental officer—reveals the tragicomic reality of institutional change. This is an institute that has pioneered environmental law since the 1970s and was decades ahead in recognizing animal rights.

Graphic featuring a quote from Matthias Hartwig's text on a teal background with a bold orange arrow symbol in the top left. To the right, large white serif text reads: ‘Crude reality is resilient against the spirit’. Beneath the quote, in smaller white text aligned to the right, is the attribution: ‘Matthias Hartwig’.

1/ 🗑️ Here's an uncomfortable truth: It took the MPIL 25 years to implement basic waste separation.

#MPIL100 #EnvironmentalLaw #Sustainability #InstitutionalChange #TheoryPracticeGap #ClimateAction #MPILHeidelberg